


Of charcoal and blossoms.

by AuntNaty



Series: Wayward Children [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bigotry & Prejudice, Blood Drinking, Blood and Injury, Developing Relationship, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hades and Persephone Vibes, I love them so much, M/M, Protective Seo Changbin, Seo Changbin is Whipped, but not in an overbearing way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:22:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28875630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuntNaty/pseuds/AuntNaty
Summary: "You are still the kindest thingthat ever happened to me,[...]you saw how the ichor in my bloodyearned for its own throne."- Nikita Gill.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin & Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin
Series: Wayward Children [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090835
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	Of charcoal and blossoms.

The first time Hyunjin met Changbin had been awkward, to say the least.

Hyunjin had started his training a few weeks prior, and was mostly by himself in any breaks; humans had a lot of prejudice towards the Fair Folk - and anyone related to them.

The thing was: although Hyunjin was the son of a Lady of the Seelie Court, she'd raised him as just another human boy. She'd been shunned by the rest of the Gentry after becoming pregnant, and, lo and behold, decided to live with Hyunjin's father as a mortal.

As much as it sounded like a fairy-tale (no pun intended) his mother had always told Hyunjin it was nothing of the sort.

"If they couldn't accept that being with your father and having you made me the happiest I'd ever been, there was no reason to remain among them," she would say while braiding Hyunjin's hair, "besides, I would have chosen to raise you away from them either way. They are already so capricious about full-blooded Fae, however, human halflings have it so much worse..."

Whatever his mother's reasons were, Hyunjin never really minded being raised among normal humans. Although as a child his peers treated him a bit differently, it wasn't anything worrisome; they'd play and interact with him as if he was any other child, however, every so often they'd ask:

_Why are your ears pointy?_

_Wow, how did your parents let you dye your hair?_

_Are your eyes blue or green?_

_Are those fireflies flying around your head? But, how do they change colors all the time like that?_

The true vitriol, the vile prejudice, only truly happened as he entered high school. People would push him around, call him names, tugging at his hair, and so on.

So obviously, when Hyunjin was scouted on the street, he thought it was a joke. But, as it turned out, the offer had been real.

Hyunjin was dumbfounded, while his mother was very excited - albeit careful. However, before going to the audition, the boy decided to turn a completely new leaf: he cut his hair short and dyed it a dark brown, almost black, color; he started wearing brown contacts, and - maybe the most drastic decision of all -, began wearing small pieces of iron-based jewelry, warding away the fae that usually followed him.

Although the iron didn’t burn him as it would his mother and another pure-blooded fae, it still wasn’t entirely harmless either: he’d feel a constant itch on his skin around the items, and sometimes he’d even get headaches and nausea if he wore the items for too long.

Nevertheless, he powered through it all and made it through the audition.

Hyunjin had to learn it all from scratch: dancing, singing, rapping… And, more often than not, he’d hear the malicious whispers of the other trainees saying how he’d only got through because of how _pretty_ he was.

It made Hyunjin’s blood boil.

And so, he’d train _the hardest_ , spending the most hours practicing, until he could almost feel his feet bleeding, his tendons and muscles all but ready to tear apart; until his voice became nothing more than aborted, clipped sounds from continuous strain.

However, it never felt like it was _ever_ going to be enough.

People kept talking, and, after so many years, Hyunjin couldn’t ignore the gossip, the murmurs, and whispers.

And then one day, he’d rushed out of his house and forgotten to put on any iron accessories; only realizing his lapse once he arrived at the company and a group of particular trainees that had been vicious to him since day one saw the halo of pixies around his hair. It didn’t help that he’d also forgotten to wear a beanie to cover the pointy tips of his ears.

As soon as he saw the way their expressions darkened, Hyunjin realized his misstep and felt his heart fall to the pit of his stomach.

Hyunjin attempted to escape by all but running to a more quiet portion of the company, where the producer’s studios sat, and where there was a make-shift interior garden. He only realized he should’ve chosen a more populated area when he got shoved against a set of potted ferns, almost making it all fall over him.

The other three crowded him, locking him between the plants and themselves, allowing Hyunjin no escape.

“Of course you’re a _fucking_ fairy. So, you bewitched everyone to get accepted, huh?” one of them spat.

“N-no! It-it wasn’t--” Hyunjin stammered, trying pitifully not to shake all over from fear.

“Oh? So maybe you just offered some _services_ in exchange for getting through. Your kind is known for that kind of stuff too, aren’t you?” another one sneered, laughing darkly.

“Well, if that’s the case, why don’t we take a look for ourselves?”

Hyunjin’s heart all but stopped. One of them locked his wrist in a vice grip and went to drag him forward, but was abruptly stopped when the ferns’ leaves began wrapping around the arm holding Hyunjin and the pixies lunged at them.

They jerked back, startled, but soon recovered and this time their expressions were even graver.

“You fucking _freak--_ ” the first one snarled and made to hit Hyunjin, who closed his eyes and waited for the blow.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

The room’s temperature had dropped alarmingly all of a sudden, and when Hyunjin opened his eyes, he saw that the three trainees were frozen in place, their attention now turned to another boy who’d walked in.

He was dressed in an all-black ensemble, toned and pale arms on display from the tank top he was wearing. His face - all sharp angles, and very thin -, showed how angry he was, despite how his voice resonated very leveled.

Then, Hyunjin noticed two sharp white points poking from his full lips and understood why the room was so cold all of a sudden.

 _A vampire_. 

_Seo Changbin_ , his mind provided; part of the 3RACHA trio along with fellow vampire Bang Chan and the poltergeist Han Jisung. 

“Chan-Changbin-ssi, we-we were just--” one of the bullies babbled, but was interrupted by the vampire.

“Just what? Harassing another trainee? You should be fucking ashamed. Maybe if you worked as hard as he does you wouldn’t be so petty as to make assumptions about him. If I _ever_ see you pathetic imbeciles anywhere near him again, I won’t hold back. Am I clear?” Changbin’s voice cut through the air, tone sharp as a blade.

The bullies babbled _yes, sir_ between bowing and quickly walking away; the color completely drained from their faces. 

And then, it was only the two of them.

Hyunjin’s knees gave away and he slid to the floor. Changbin’s eyes were locked on him and he couldn’t look away.

However, Hyunjin didn’t feel threatened. The vampire’s dark eyes softened ten-fold, and the room’s temperature seemed to slowly return to normal. The ferns’ leaves snaked to carefully surround Hyunjin as if attempting to soothe him, while the pixies sat in front of his face twinkling threateningly at Changbin. The vampire slowly walked towards the other, kneeling down and offering his hand.

“I’m terribly sorry about that, people can be such assholes, especially when envious… You are Hwang Hyunjin, right? Minho-hyung mentioned you. He says you’re one of the best dancers here,” the vampire said in a very soft voice, a smile peeking at the corner of his mouth.

Hyunjin felt himself blushing. 

“Anyway, wanna grab some coffee? We don’t have to talk about what happened or anything if you don’t want to, but I think it would be good for you to get out of here for a bit. What do you say? My treat!”

“U-uh, sure…” Hyunjin cleared his throat, “yeah! Coffee sounds great.”

“Cool, let’s go then!” Changbin fully smiled then, and Hyunjin found the other looked even better like that.

 _Wait, what_.

The half-fae shook his head, feeling warm across the face again, and pointedly didn’t look at the vampire as he helped him up.

***

They walked in a comfortable silence until the café near the company, and then Changbin asked what he’d like to have and Hyunjin shrugged and asked for a mocha. The vampire nodded and went to the cashier to order.

Hyunjin sat in a booth near the back, and let out a deep sigh. He finally looked at the wrist the bully had gripped and it was beginning to bruise, and it felt tender to the touch. He felt a deep ache in his bones, he felt like he’d just been hit by a truck. He didn’t even notice he’d started crying until something cold began gently rubbing his tears away.

Changbin looked sad, but Hyunjin could also see red swirling amongst the deep brown of his eyes, and the half-fae wondered if the young man wouldn’t wait to see if the bullies would bother him again before doing something.

The vampire slid next to him in the booth and began doing soothing motions on Hyunjin’s back until the hiccups and tears ended. It had been so long since he’d cried like that and now, he felt even more drained.

Before Changbin could say anything, the barista called him and he went to pick up their order. Hyunjin cleared the remaining tears on the sleeve of his hoodie and once he was done, a cup of steaming and fragrant mocha was placed in front of him. Changbin returned to his side, iced americano on hand.

Hyunjin reached for his beverage - feeling a weird sort of comfort from the warmth radiating from the thin cardboard cup -, blowing on top a few times before drinking it. It was delicious.

“Feeling a bit better?” Changbin asked after a bit.

Hyunjin simply nodded after another sip.

“If you ever need any kind of help, or just talk, don’t hesitate to reach out, alright? This trainee life can be a lot, and it’s even more when you’re not human; so, if you ever need anything, we’ll be here.”

“We?”

“Chan-hyung, Minho-hyung, Jisungie, and I. We are building a group and you’d be more than welcome if you’re interested.”

Hyunjin turned to look at Changbin at that. Sure, he’d heard about Bang Chan starting to form a group with some trainees close to him, but why was Seo Changbin asking him to join them? As if reading Hyunjin’s confusion, Changbin chuckled and continued:

“Minho-hyung has mentioned you almost every time he talks about dance practice, so, yeah, we want on the team; but only if you are interested, of course.”

After a pause that seemed to go on forever, Hyunjin meekly asked:

“Are… Are you sure?”

“Yeah!”

The half-fae turned his gaze to the mocha on his hands. Hearing that had made a sweet warmth blossom in his chest. For the first time, there seemed to be a group of people who wanted him around _based on his skills_. No matter what his insecurities and anxieties were telling him, the sheer conviction and sincerity in Changbin’s gaze silenced it all.

“I’d… I’d like that.” Hyunjin smiled to himself.

When he turned to the vampire, Changbin was sporting the brightest smile so far, and Hyunjin was captivated.

_Yeah, he definitely looks even better like that._

***

And so, Hyunjin joined Bang Chan’s group of friends. They all seemed extremely excited to have him there, especially Lee Felix, the little Nephilim who’d joined the company only a couple of weeks prior. Hyunjin had never been too fond of skinship of any kind, but he could never refuse Felix’s hugs.

Jisung was just as hyper, but he’d show his excitement through words rather than hugs. Minho was much calmer in comparison, but just as warm and welcoming. Lastly, Chan was the sweetest person Hyunjin had ever met; he was strict when needed, but never failed to deliver praises.

And Changbin… Well. Changbin was even brighter and excited around his close friends. He was reliable and attentive, especially with Hyunjin; offering to help him with rapping and just being a great listener for when the half-fae was feeling overwhelmed and needed to let it out.

Once they finally debuted, with the addition of Seungmin and Jeongin, Hyunjin couldn’t be happier. And then, once they were back in the dorms and still high on the adrenaline from the survival’s live finale, Changbin hugged him so tightly it took the taller’s breath away.

Hyunjin hugged him back, then realizing the vampire was shaking and he could feel something wetting his shirtfront.

“Hyung?” the half-fae whispered.

“We made it. _We really made it_.” Changbin laughed breathlessly.

The vampire looked up from Hyunjin’s shoulder, dark red tear tracks flowing down his cheeks, and the most beautiful smile on his face. He laughed once again before hugging Hyunjin even tighter, and the half-fae felt his breath catch on his throat as his heart began racing.

They had made it. All eight of them.

However, after seeing Changbin’s smile like that and feeling the happiness and relief coming off him in waves, that was the only thing Hyunjin could think of.


End file.
